Golden Temple - History

History of Amritsar

Amritsar was founded by Guru Ramdas in 1574 after buying a land whose cost was Rs. 700. The guru also built a residence for himself which came to be known as Guru da Chakk. Most part of the city was developed in 17^th and 18^th century.

Jallianwala Bagh massacre also occurred here on 13^th April 1919 in which many Indians were killed. The killing was done by the orders of Reginald Edward Harry Dyer. After independence, there was a partition in which India was partitioned as India and Pakistan where Punjab was divided between the two countries and Amritsar came under India. The Indo-Pak border called Wagah Border is 28km away from the city.

History of Golden Temple

Golden Temple is also known as Sri Harmandir Sahab and Sri Darbar Sahab. Guru Arjun Dev, the fifth Sikh Guru, gave the idea of construction of a temple where Sikhs can come and worship. The land for the temple was bought from the Zamindars by Guru Ramdas. Hazrat Mian Mir Ji, a Muslim saint, laid the foundation of the temple and the construction was supervised by Guru Arjun Dev.

The guru asked to build the temple at a lower level with four gates, one in each direction. The construction of the temple was started in 1588 and completed in 1601. Guru Granth Sahib was also installed by Guru Arjun Dev and Baba Budha ji was appointed as the first reader of the book. The temple has got the status of Ath Sath Tirth and Sikhs from various places come here for pilgrimage.

Damage to the Temple

The temple and the Akal Takht was damaged during Operation Blue Star in which there was a fierce fight between the soldiers and the Sikhs and many people died. In order to avenge, the Sikh bodyguards killed Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Though Rajiv Gandhi government repaired the Akal Takht Sahib in 1986 but it was removed in 1989. Later Kar Sevaks made the Akal Takht in 1999.